Dave: Alright, when you guys first became a band, how did you guys decide upon Thrice for a name?

Riley: Kind of a stupid story really, we got to play battle of bands type of thing and we didn't have a name or anything. So we started kicking around a few ideas andit was an inside joke that some of the guys had and last minute the nite before the show we decided to use Thrice. And then we never got around to changing it. It's definitely not the best band name in the world but I don't think it's the worst either. Next to Puddle of Mudd and Hoobastank both take that title.

Dave: How did the band become to be, who are originals, if not all of you guys?

Riley: We're all originals, Dustin and Teppei went to high school together and wanted to start a band while in high school. Pepe and I used to skateboard all the time, and we started talking about forming a band and, they asked me to fill in on drums until they found someone else, but they never did, so here we are.

Dave: After three full lengths, do you think you guys have developed your own unique sound? The way you dreamed or set goals?

Riley: We don't really have any goals other than staying on the road, having fun, meeting people and making music. There's no number of records we want to sell or amount of exposure we want to get, it's never been a concern of ours really. We're always trying to experiment and do new things. I don't think we'll ever be done evolving. Every record is gonna be different.

Dave: How many bands were you in before playing in Thrice?

Riley: I played drums in a really shitty band with friends in high school. It was a REALLY bad Nofx, Bad Relgion wannabe band and nothing really ever happened with that. And then I sang in a band for like a year with a bunch of guys who were all screwed up on drugs, so that ended pretty quickly. I wasn't really doing a lot of music related things for a few years before they asked me to play in Thrice.

Dave: Who writes the majority of the lyrics?

Riley: Dustin pretty much writes all of the lyrics, there is one song on "Identity Crisis" that I wrote lyrics for. And both the new albums are all Dustin as well.

Dave: According to AP.net's Best of 2002, "Illusion of Safety" won the award for best lyrics. If you know, what were some of the inspirations behind the lyrics?

Riley: I think Dustin talks a lot from personal experience and some of the things that are going on in his life, be it his questions about mortality or morality or faith issues or something. He just talks about stuff that is personal to him. A lot of people like to read into the lyrics and say that the band has this sort of view, but it's just Dustin's personal expression, letting everyone know how he feels through the lyrics. One thing that I like that he does is he'll identify problems or struggles that he is having, and instead of bitching and complaining about them, he shares through them lyrically.

Dave: How much time do you put in to come up with the final cut of the album?

Riley: We are constantly writing, coming up with stuff on guitars. We try to record them on a 4 track or a handheld recorder. And when it comes time to record, everyone brings everything to the table, and we just hash out what we like and don't like. It's re-write after re-write, we're super anal about everything. It may take a while, but I think it kinda helps us from being boring.

Dave: What are your thoughts personally on the new album?

Riley: I'm really happy with it. It's definitely the best sounding record we've ever come ever done. We had a lot of time in the studio to work on guitar tone and drum tone. Andy Wallace mixed it, so sonically it;s so much better then our previous work. I think the song structures are better, the songs in a whole are more memorable. We weren't afraid to repeat parts. It's definitely a lot different than the last record. We tried a lot of new things.

Dave: Who inspired you to be here today?

Riley: At Warped Tour? (everyone laughs) No, I would say it came from a lot of places. Music is THE coolest thing. I can't imagine life without music, be it listening to it, and once you start playing it, it's this crazy addiction that you just wanna keep writing and playing. Any bands that I grew up listening to, be it Bad Religion, Strung Out, Slayer or Metallica. Seeing someone come out on stage passionate about something, why would you NOT wanna do something like that?

Dave: What made you choose Island Records?

Riley: Island? There's nothing I don't like about Island. Nothing has gone wrong so far. Things I do like so far, is that everyone in buttfuck North Dakota are gonna be able to get our CD. We're gonna have distribution in Europe, it's gonna be easier to find us and hear about us. We've made a lot of sacrifices, time, money, and work into getting where we are, and it's good to know that all the work that we have put in over the last 5 years is going to pay off with all of the help from Island. I think that's why you start a band in the first place.

Dave: At first a lot of people were upset that you left Sub-City, especially because of what you guys gave back to the community, but you have actually continued that trend with Island. Why is this such a huge part of Thrice's lifestyle?

Riley: Well when we were talking to majors, we made it really really clear from the beginning. This is what our band is about, we have been working with charities for the last two records, we're not gonna stop now, so you guys can go with it, or we'll go with someone else. And Island was really enthusiastic about it. We're really fortunate to be where we are. And for us to give back to people who are less fortunate, makes for an easy decision. We don't come from the ghetto, we never starved, never hurt for money, and we're extremely lucky to come from that sort of situation. And we are always more than eager to lend a helping hand.

Dave: What can we expect from Thrice?

Riley: Lots of touring! I don't think we're going to be home ever again. Going back to England, coming back in the fall to do a headlining tour or co-headlining tour. We're trying to work out for Australia and Japan, so basically.....we're gonna be on the road until we die. The end!